Key guard



Feb. 13, 1923.

A, HAGELQM ETYAL KEY GUARD FilQd EQb. 15, 1932 Patented 13, 1923.

UhlliTED earner ANTON E. HAGBLOIVI AND ROLAND W. CHRISTENSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

KEY GUARD.

Application filed February 15, 1922. Serial No. 536,690.

To ((ZZ whom dim/Ly come m.

Be it known that we, ANTON E. HAGBLOM, a citizen of Finland, and ROLAND W. GHRIS- TENSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Key Guards, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in the type of lreyguard which is adapted to be atlixed for use on the inner face of a door, to so engage the key in the look as to prevent it from being dislodged through the key-hole from outside in any attempt to unlock the door from without. Referring to the accompanying drawing Figure l is a broken facewiew of a door showing our improved key-guard in operative position thereon; Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the key-guard,

and Figure 3 is a broken view of the same.

in elevation, showing the pivotal springprcssed connection of one with the other of the two members of which the device is composed.

Our key-guard comprises a lower member a and an upper pivotal spring-pressed latclrmember 7, both members being preferably stamped out of sheet-metal. The member 4 is formed with an offset head 5, through openings in which the guard may be secured to the inner face of the door below the escutcheon 6 thereon to extend upwardly along and close to the face of the latter with the key-latch end of the member 7 normally registering with the key-hole. On the member 4 is formed a hook i for accessibly hanging a door-key when out of use. The members 4 and 7 are pivotally connected, the latter to the Former, at their mutually overlapping end-portions, a guidetongue 7" projecting from the lower extremity of the member 7 through a curved slot 4 in the upper portion of the headed member; and a spring 4. applied to the pivot, connects the tongue with a lip 41* pro jecting from the upper extremity of the member 4:. The upper portion of the memher 7 is effect, as shown in Fig. 2, from the lower portion to cause it to be close to the face of the escutcheon 6 when the guard is secured in place on a door, to operate as hereinafter explained. A semicircular recess 7 b is formed in an edge of the member 7 nearits upper end to engage the cylindrical shank of a key 8, and from this recess extends a slot 7 to receive edgewise a flat rey when used to look a door provided with our improved device.

To apply our improved key-guard it is fastened, as by the screws shown in Fig. 1, through the head 5 to a door 9 centrally below the lower end of the escutcheon to extend upwardly along the face of the latter and bring the recess 7 into position to surround the shank of a key 8 when in the key-hole. The spring normally retains the pivotal latch-member in that position to obstruct dislodgment of the key, whether of the'type shown or of the other type referred to. To permit insertion or with drawal of the key, the member 7 is turned on its pivot to remove the recessed end thereof from obstructing at the key-hole. To facilitate that purpose a thumlo-piece 10 is formed to project as shown from the pivotal member. Upon releasing the thumbpiece, the spring P returns the member 7 to its normal obstructing position.

We realize that considerable variation is possible in the details of the construction herein shown and we do not intend to limit our invention thereto except as pointed out in the following claims, in which it is the intention to claim all the novelty there may be in the invention abroadly as permissible by the state of the art.

What we claim is:

1. A key-guard, comprising a member having a. head through which to secure it in place on the inner face of a door beyond the key escutcheon thereon and provided with aslot, and a member overlapping at one end-portion. the adjacent end-portion of the headed member and having a pivotal. spring-pressed connection with the latterto extend the pivotal member normally adia cent the key-hole where it is provided with means for engaging a key therein, said pii otal member having a tongue projecting, through the slot in the headed member.

2. In combination with a door having a keyhole-containing escutcheon on its inner face, a key-guard comprising a member havtime ing an offset head through which it is secured to the door below the eseuteheon to extend upwardly along the latter, and a member ox erlapping' at one end-portion the adjacent end-portion of the headed member and having a pivotal spring-pressed -con neotion with the latter to extend the pivotal member upwardly along the escuteheon adjacent the key-hole where it is provided with means for engaging a key therein, said 10 pivotal member having relatively Offset upper and lower portions.

ANTON E. HAGBLOM.

ROLAND \V. CHRISTENSEN. 

